


Love Is More Than Just A Game For Two

by Rowaelin_Spideychelle



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Endgame Tike, F/F, F/M, Funeral, Future Fic, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mike Chang Deserves The World, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Time Skips, Tina Cohen-Chang Deserved Better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rowaelin_Spideychelle/pseuds/Rowaelin_Spideychelle
Summary: “What if I’m not your soulmate?”“Then we’ll figure it out, but all I know now is that I love you, and no Mark will change that.”“I don’t think I can sleep.” She said frowning, though little creases in between her eyebrows making him smile.“Then just lay with me, sing something.” So she made her say under the covers, grabbing on of Mike’s arms and wrapping it around herself, humming a sweet melody as the man besides her fell asleep.—————Everyone had their soulmates name carved upon on their skin the moment they turn 18, but Mike Chang’s won’t appear, leaving his relationship with Tina Cohen-Chang in shambles.Years passed and the tragic death of an original New Direction members is what brings all of them back together, but Mike can’t help but feel like something is off, and his concerns are answered when her name is written on his skin only days after.—————Originally named ‘Mike Chang And The Trials Of Being A Late Marker’
Relationships: Artie Abrams/Tina Cohen-Chang, Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Mike Chang & Brittany S. Pierce, Mike Chang & Sam Evans, Mike Chang & Tina Cohen-Chang, Mike Chang/Tina Cohen-Chang, Sam Evans/Mercedes Jones, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce, Tina Cohen-Chang & Sam Evans, Tina Cohen-Chang & Santana Lopez
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	1. Past, Present and Pain

They were together while he waited, she sat on the end of his bed as he was preparing himself for the last moments of his teen years.

“I’m nervous.” She didn’t have to say it for him to know, he could see her picking at her nails from where he sat on the floor, biting his lip in anticipation. “What if it’s not me? What if it’s some random girl you don’t even know yet?” She started rambling on, the anxiety getting to her. “What if I’m not your soulmate?”

“Then we’ll figure it out, but all I know now is that I love you, and no Mark will change that.” He could see the small sense of relief in her breathing, but that didn’t stop his heart from beating a bit too fast for his liking.

“It’s 12, do you feel anything?” And he didn’t, shaking his head in response. Nothing, no searing pain, no ticklish sensation. Nothing was happening.

“Maybe it will happen the exact time you were born, do you know when that is?” And he thought about it for a moment, “I remember it was late in the night, so maybe it’ll be here in the morning.” Mike stood up and started climbing into bed, but Tina didn’t seem as she intended to do so. “I don’t think I can sleep.” She said frowning, those little creases in between her eyebrows making him smile.

“Then just lay with me, sing something.” So she made her way under the covers, grabbing on of Mike’s arms and wrapping it around herself, humming a sweet melody as the man besides her fell asleep.

...

2 days later and he still didn’t have a mark, and it wasn’t just him getting worried. His parents immediately scheduled an appointment with a soul mark specialist for the day.

The whole school knew that he didn’t have his mark, it’s a bit hard to hide it, especially when his closest group of friends were the gossips of the school. He himself didn’t feel that bad about it, but seeing Tina’s puffy eyes and dark circles made him hate himself for it. Pitying looks we’re given to her in the halls, and the football team wouldn’t stop making jokes about him being a freeloader.

Later that day, the soul mark specialist said nothing could be diagnosed, there’s no way to speed up the process, if he even had a process to speed up. Apparently there were a few hundred cases of late markers, but there was never a specific time frame they all got it, it was all random. So maybe he and Tina still had a chance.

...

They broke up 9 months later.

It wasn’t a surprise to either of them, neither was it a surprise to their friends. Everyone was so sure that they were soulmates, the perfect couple. But as everyone saw the love in Tina’s eyes fading as she smiled sadly at Mike, they all knew it was coming.

He thinks long distance was just an excuse. That they could stay together if they tried, but they didn’t see the point in trying, so they didn’t.

Then three months later, he came back for Christmas break - and saw her. The last time they spoke was when he sent her happy birthday a month ago. He smiled at her from a distance as she sat across from Artie at the LimaBean, her hair up in a bun. He walked over to her, giving both his friends greeting when he saw it when she turned around. 

The words _Artie Abrams_ carved into her neck, small and slanted, and he excused himself and drove aimlessly away.

...

They saw each other once in a while, either at reunions or large gatherings. He saw the smile on her face when talking to her soulmate. He knew what she looked like when she was happy, and that’s all he wanted.

But he was 25 and markless, working as a part-time choreographer for upcoming artists, [collaborating with old friends like Mercedes (The Newly Mrs Evans) and the one and only Brittany S Lopez] with a doctorate on Physical Therapy from the New York Medical College.

He was living his dream, (with the influence of his parents dreams of him becoming a doctor) , but there was just one thing missing from his life; love

He was just getting back to his small New York apartment (That he will not admit his dad helped pay for) when his phone started ringing. His hands were too busy to grab his phone from his pocket, so he just let it ring as he made his way through his door. It stopped for a moment, before ringing again, so he quickly put his bags down on a table and looked at the caller ID.

 **Sam Evans**

So he picked up the phone, ready to ask what was up when he was cut off. 

“ _Hey did you hear? I can’t believe it.”_

“Hear about what?”

 _“About Artie.”_ Artie? They rarely ever talked, never bothering to keep in touch since high school, the awkwardness of their mutual ex/girlfriend always filling up the room.

“What about Artie?”

 _“Oh shit, you haven’t.”_ Yes, he hadn’t, no one seemed to tell him much these days, news always came to him late.

“What? What happened?”

“ _He got into an accident, he didn’t make it”_ , Mike stopped, grabbing his phone from between his neck and shoulder and had to sit down.

 _“—— The funeral is back in Lima, where his parents are. Me and Cedes are heading over this week, Blaine, Kurt and Tina are already there.”_ Mike was suddenly out of breath, the information sinking in... Oh Tina... Artie? No...

“Shit.”

“ _Yeah, shit. You can catch a ride with us, Cedes’ assistant got us a private plane over, we’re flying over on Tuesday_.”

“Wow, yeah sure.”

 _“See ya, I’ll text you about the details. Bye._ ”

“Bye.”

Shit. Shittity Shit Shit.

.....

The plane ride was fine, him, Sam, and Mercedes just sitting across from each other in mournful silence. He could tell Mercedes had been crying, and the occasional sniff from Sam suggesting that he had too. But for some reason Mike couldn’t cry, he knew he should, but Artie Abrams was such light hearted soul, the majority of the words that came out of his mouth either a joke, funny remark or good advice. So it just didn’t feel right to cry.

They got to Lima late afternoon, and made their way to the house of Burt and Carole Hummel, who generously offered up a place to stay to anyone who needed it. 

The house was quiet, empty almost, even with the addition of a dozen familiar faces. The arriving trio said their sad hello’s, not finding anything else suitable to say. Then finally almost the entirety of the original Glee club members were there (With the addition of some newer ones) sitting in a circle, missing three friendly faces.

They went around the room talking about their late friend, the comedic relief that always made them feel excepted. Artie Abrams had come a long way from his teen years, gaining recognition from film critics around the US, if only he could see his biggest fans remembering him one by one.

They were laughing at memories together when a soft knock was heard at the door, and everyone turned to look at who it was, and a head of dark hair made her way towards the circle.

Tina Cohen-Chang was wearing her soulmates signature sweater, eyes puffy and rimmed red. With the help of former cheer captain (who was now halfway into law school), she found a spot between the blond and Santana Lopez, who placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t stop on my account. Please continue.” She sounded tired, like she hadn’t slept in days, which was probably true. And concerned glances were made across the room before they continued as she had asked.

Mike was sitting directly across from her, and he couldn’t help but stare. He could see how she picked at her nails and chipped off her nail polish. The way every third breath shook a beat faster than the others, the way she wiped her tears with the sleeve of his sweater. He wanted to hug her, tell her it would be okay as her sniffles became sobs and her face was buried into Santana’s Jacket.

But something was hurting him, something was wrong, something that burned- and he couldn’t help but grunt, grabbing the attention of a few of his friends, asking him if he was okay. He wasn’t, he started sweating, and it wasn’t until he screamed that Tina’s attention was on him, and the way his hand held his left side as it felt like someone was cutting him open, stabbing his flesh, writing on his skin- Shit. 

Why in the world would the universe decide this very moment to go him his soul mark? He had no idea, and neither did his friends as Kurt Hummel-Anderson and Brittany S. Lopez lifted up his shirt and saw it, just before they pulled Mike into the nearest bathroom. 

Brittany helped Mike take off his shirt as Kurt turned on the shower, pulling him in when the water was cold enough, aiming the water on his bruised skin.

Brittany grabbed a towel nearby and dried him off, as Mike struggled to breathe properly, Kurt had his wet hand over his face. “The cold helps with the swelling, it’s gonna burn a little though.” And Brittany smiled sadly at him just as she placed the towel on his new cut. Mike winced, but managed to ask what it said, and wasn’t given an answer.

He sighed and slowly made his way to the mirror, lifting his hand off his side.

_Tina Cohen-Chang_

And he knew she saw it when she dropped a bottle of water on the bathroom floor and just stood there in horror, seeing her name on his skin, 14 days after her soulmate had died.

Mike thinks that the universe really hates him.


	2. It’s Not Your Fault

Mike didn’t know what to do. But to be honest, nobody in the room did. It took a total of 62 seconds for Tina Cohen-Chang to run out of the room, followed by a worried Santana and Mercedes.

It wasn’t like Mike wasn’t still in pain, his mark still really hurt, but the look of confusion and horror on Tina’s face made him forget everything. At least his friends had the decency to stay quiet, and didn’t ask any questions, but he could tell everyone was trying to figure it out.

Mike simply didn’t have the energy to stay standing, and found himself a bathroom wall to slowly slide down, bringing his knees to his face. Why did this have to happen to him?

Noah Puckerman was the first to break the tension, though the question not as joyous as it would have been two weeks ago “Shit man, what in the world is happening?” Mike attempted to laugh at him, but the pain made it difficult not to grunt, “The universe hates me.”

The remaining former glee club members shuffled around, finding a place to sit and ponder. Two too many situations were happening, everyone’s gears turning in their heads.

Artie would probably be laughing right now, saying how this could be a great plot for a movie.

Everything just felt wrong, he just lost an old friend and his ex(who he was still in love with)‘s name was now carved into his side. He just didn’t get it, what did this all mean?

Santana Lopez then walked in, a wet spot by her shoulder, “Me and Cedes are gonna being Tee back to Artie’s parent’s house. I think this is all a bit too overwhelming for her, she’s a mess.” She walked over to one of the sofas to grab her bag and started to head out when Mike couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Can I talk to her before you go?”

Santana shook her head, biting her lower lip, eyes sad as she replied, “No, she’s not ready for that, and I don’t think you are either.” and Mike didn’t protest, and nodded back at her. Sam stood up once they finished, patting a comforting hand on Mike’s shoulder before grabbing his phone off the table. “I’ll come with you guys, I’ll drive.” And the two walked out, leaving Mike with pitiful glances.

Quinn Fabray made her way next to him, wrapping her arms around him. “It’s going to be okay, it’s not like you could have prevented any of this from happening. Just give Tina some time to process all of this, it’s been a hard week for her.”

Blaine Anderson nodded beside them, and continued, “Not that you don’t have to process it too, it’s just that everything is happening so fast. Wait till the funeral’s over, then bring it up to her.”

Rachel Berry was next to speak, having kept her words to herself the entire time. “Just know this isn’t any of your fault Micheal, and whatever happens, we’ll all be here, no matter what.”

Mike slowly limped out of the bathroom, scrambling around for his belongings, “Thanks guys, but I think I need to be alone for a bit.” And he made his way towards the door, but was interrupted by Kurt, “Hey, take my car. I know you came here with Sam and Mercedes so you don’t have a car. And there’s not exactly anywhere for me to go. Just be safe.”

“Thanks, I’ll see you guys.” And he took the car keys from Kurt and headed out.

...

When he was seventeen and was gifted a car for his birthday, he would constantly drive around town alone, windows down and drinking in the fresh air.

He would bring Tina out for rides to see the sunset, circling their favorite lakes to swim in, planning picnics or go skinny dipping.

But he wasn’t seventeen anymore, and as much as he wish it wasn’t, life wasn’t as simple as it was seven years ago, though back then it felt as complicated as it could get.

...

The funeral was as exciting as a funeral could get, so not at all. It just consisted of Artie's family of 7, old glee club members, some family friends and some close coworkers of his.

The reception was fine, quiet and somber, hints of Artie Abrams scattered all over the room. Mike tried not to get to involved in many conversations, just finding a corner to drink his glass of red wine. So he stood from afar, huddled with Puck and Sam, trying not to stare at her, dressed in black and just sitting there, playing with her fingers.

Tina was supposed to make a speech about her late soulmate, as tradition would say, but she ended up sobbing too hard to let any words come out, and was quickly replaced by Arties mom.

Mike hadn’t been to many funerals before this, his parents didn’t have many relatives in the states. The last one he went to was for Finn, though it was more of a memorial that a funeral.

They hadn’t even reached their thirties, and two of them were already gone.

He hadn’t registered that he was moving until he was in front of her, and he sat. And they sat in silence for a few minutes, and Mike could feel the gazes of his friends on them, questioning and cautious, and Mike didn’t have to think to know this was a bad idea.

“Do you think the universe knew that he was going to die? And just wanted him to have someone to love before he did?” Her voice was scratchy and low, the tears having dried out, and he wasn’t sure if she wanted him to reply.

“He was going to propose,” and Mike’s eyes widened, not having heard the news. “I found the ring in the pocket of one of his jackets. We were going to have a life together.” Mike decided to let her talk, not finding any words suitable to reply with. He felt horrible, knowing that he had something to do with her soon and confusion.

“And now we don’t get to have one because of some stupid kid.” And the next thing he knew, Tina’s head was on his shoulder, tears threatening to spill over, her hand preventing her from crying out.

He could feel everyone staring at them, the sight of the girlfriend and her ex, but nobody looked angry or concerned, just sad. So he let her cry, and she cried until the sun set.

...  
The night ended with Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn singing a list of Arties favorite slower songs. Everyone just sat there, enjoying the memories of him, remembering his presence. And slowly, few by few, people started leaving, giving their condolences to the Abrams family.

It was around 9pm when Tina decided to get ready to leave, leaving Mike sitting there. “I should get going, the will reading is tomorrow morning and I should probably get cleaned up.”

“You sure you’ll be okay alone?” And Tina nodded, reassuring him. “I’m staying with his family, so I’ll leave with Artie’s mom.” And so she made he way to where Mrs Abrams was standing by the door.

“Hey Mike, thanks for everything. I know this can’t be easy for you either. And just know that I don’t blame you for any of it.” She told him, smiling sadly before leaving.

Mike’s thoughts were interrupted by Sams voice, nodding his head towards the door. “You ready to go?” And Mike nodded back.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the feedback from the last chapter! It really encouraged me to hurry up and write this one! My updates won’t be super consistent cuz it really depends how fast the plot comes to me! But I hope you like this chapter and can’t wait for the next one!


	3. Love and Loss and All Things Wrong

Mike Chang loved a lot of people in his life. 

But he’d only been _in_ love once.

With none other than Ms. Tina Cohen-Chang, and he would be too embarrassed to admit that he used to draw up what their life would be like in his mind. 

When they were still in high school, and he was getting ready for college, he couldn’t help but think about the future, their future. He was almost eighteen, and he was fairly certain that she was his soulmate. So he would start thinking about marriage, or engagement would probably be more accurate. He would start staring at her hand, her fingers on accident, he never really meant to, but he was just drawn to the fact that it could wear a ring.

Then everything came crashing down and started fading away.

Mike still had some sort of confidence in their relationship, he felt that they could get through anything together, that if they tried hard enough, things would be okay. But he couldn’t shake the fact that another person’s name would be on her skin, a name that wasn’t his. And so he started to cherish their last moments together, knowing that he wouldn’t have long.

But now, they were in this weird whatever. It was three weeks after the funeral, and him and the rest of his friends had went back to where they originally were, including Tina.

He knew Tina lived in New York, but never reached out to her, in fear that he was crossing a boundary. But instead, two days ago, she reached out to him, asking if he wanted to go out for coffee.

So there they were, sitting across from each other at a local coffee shop that was apparently one of Tina’s favorites, talking almost like they did six years ago.

He learned that Tina was finishing up a five-year masters in fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and was about to start as an assistant costume designer on an upcoming show on Netflix. He also learned how much time had really passed, so much had happened in her life that he had no idea of, and it made him wonder if she was the same Tina that she was before, before everything happened.

He would say he knew Tina better than most, even after all these years, he knew her tells, her expressions, and he noticed how as they talked, she played with her fingers, but not in the same way she did when she was nervous, where she would pick her nails, but because she was missing what could have been.

All that he used to dream about, she was supposed to have with someone else, with someone that made her happy, and that was all cut short, and he couldn’t help but feel that this was all too weird to be coincidental.

He could tell she was really smiling, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, those beautiful brown eyes looked distant and pained.

They were laughing at something one of them said when she quieted down, and started to bite her lower lip. “Mike, I think you know the real reason I asked you to meet. And it isn’t to talk about what we’ve been doing these past few years.” Mike was soon aware of breath he’d been holding, and nodded to her, telling her to continue. “It’s just with everything going on, I feel like I have to get this out, or I’m going to go crazy.” She smiled for a second, then went back to biting her lip.

She looked as though she was going to continue talking, but stopped herself, and brought her arm onto the table, lifting up her sleeve to show him.

_Michael Robert Chang Jr_

His breath was knocked out of him, and couldn’t help but stand up, and quickly sat back down once seeing that everyone was staring at him.

“I still have Artie’s, but now I also have yours, which is extremely confusing, so I did some research, and I found out that Kurt’s dad had something similar, but he only got Carole’s name after he met her, a decade after his wife died. I know this is a lot to handle, and I don’t want to start anything, but you had a right to know.” She wasn’t looking at him anymore, more just staring at the empty coffee mug before her.

“Um... okay... wow... I-uh... what?” And that earned him a smile and a slight shake of head. “Its just, we’re soulmates, and unlike Burt and Carole, I haven’t had the time to process everything going on. I just feel like if we jump into this, I’d be forgetting him. And that’s the last thing I want to do. But, you were still my best friend once upon a time, and I used to dream about having your name on my skin. So if your willing, I’d like to be friends. -“ And she started rambling cutely, going on and on about only deciding if he agreed, and Mike couldn’t help himself, and place a hand on hers.

“Tina, of course I’d like to be your friend.” And Tina let out a huge breath, retreating her hand from under his and placed it over her heart. “Oh! What a relief! I had this all rehearsed in my head and now it’s all over and I can finally relax and-“ “Tina, calm down.” He laughed out, earning a laugh in return.

And so when they walked out of the café, they were friends and exes, with the addition of being soulmates.

....

They soon started hanging out every week, so similarly to how they did when they were teenagers. It was like time hadn’t passed, and they were schoolboys and girls again.

But the problem with being friends and soulmates at the same time is that you’re drawn to them, like physically drawn to them. When you’re together in the same place, you tend to stay near each other without even realizing it. So every so often when Mike would find that his hand was so close to Tina’s, he would have to sit on his hands to make himself stop.

Mike couldn’t tell if Tina’s mark had the same symptoms, or if having two soulmates messed it up a bit, but it was killing him.

It also didn’t help that he had never fully gotten over her, those late night drives and sneaking around stuffed into the back of his mind. And every smiled aimed his way made it so hard not to give into the temptation of putting his lips on hers, the memories of it not enough.

But he had to be strong, for Tina, and for Artie. It had been barely 2 months since his death, and he had to admit this was really weird.

“Hey Mike?” Tina asked from where she was on the couch beside him, eyes no longer on the movie playing on the tv. “Yeah?” And Mike’s eyes were now on her, questioning and curious.

“Did it hurt when I broke up with you?” And Mike was taken aback a little, thinking to himself. “A little, but everyone saw it coming, so I guess I did too.” And he was honest, having not said it aloud before. Tina was now looking at her hands, playing with them as she usually did.

“I’m sorry for hurting you.”

“It’s okay, because now I’m all healed.” He said with a goofy smile on his face, gaining a laugh from Tina. “Oh that was so cheesy! Get that grin off your face!” She puffed out, a matching grin on her face, throwing a handful of popcorn at his face from the bowl on her lap.

“Tina! You didn’t!” And as he said it he threw a sour patch kid at her, the candy falling onto her skirt, and she let out a squeal, getting up onto her knees to hit his arm.

Mike responded with his long fingers ticking her sides, Tina protesting against him, and him rolling over her, his strong arms holding him above her, both of their smiles beaming. They were so close, and Mike was about to back away when Tina’s lips met his.

It was intoxicating, Tina’s hands wrapped behind his neck, pulling them closer together, never separating. Tina was pushing him back, until she was above him, sitting in his lap.

It felt like he was sixteen again, so full of passion and energy, kissing like they would never again. Her hands were in his hair, his arms at her waist, both of them not thinking at all. And Mike noticed, and as much as he wanted to continue, he couldn’t, not right then and there, so he pulled away from her, his hands holding her still.

“What’s wrong?” And she looked confused, her lips plump and raw. “We can’t do this. This is going to fast. I mean what about Artie?” And Tina’s furrowed brows fell, “I don’t want to think about him.”

And Mike got off of her, standing up, his hand rubbing his face in regret. “Tina, you can’t just forget him.” He told her, looking at her from where he stood.

“I think you should go.” And her voice was sad as she fixed her shirt. 

“Tina-“

“I think you should go.” And this time her voice was stern, with no room for reasoning. So Mike grabbed his wallet and keys from where they sat on the table and started to head out. 

“I’m here for you, as your friend and you can talk to me about anything.” And those were the last words he said before heading out, leaving Tina in the couch, letting the tears she were holding in flood out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn’t super proud of this chapter but here it is! I’m not really sure how to find the pacing and found it a little fast but hope you guys like it!


	4. I Don’t Care About Everything, I Care About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna start doing these!
> 
> Mike takes a trip to Tina’s apartment after a few of her past troubles slip into his mind.

Okay, now Mike loves Tina and all her flaws, maybe even for her flaws, but Tina’s has an extreme range of flaws.

He loved the way she snorts when she laughs and sometimes used to pull on his hair a little too hard, but he always knew her flaws went a little deeper than that, everyone’s did.

When they were still in high school, Tina would not talk for days, turn off her phone and not eat (though it rarely happened her senior year according to Sam), and it scared the crap out of him the first few times she did. So Mike, being the nice guy he is, learned how to adapt to it, he’d pick her up for school and bring her lunch from time to time, but there was always that constant itching to find out why.

So to be honest, he wasn’t surprised when he couldn’t get ahold of her for days after their ‘fight’ (is that what it was?) and neither was he too concerned. But when Blaine called him to say that Tina missed two of their weekly brunch ‘dates’ (which she hadn’t missed for the past 2 years, and apparently wouldn’t miss even if she was sick) Mike couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy, (though it might also be the effect of the mark)

So that lead to where he was now, standing at her apartment door waiting for her to respond to his knock, one hand holding a bag of caramel chocolate truffles and a bouquet of orange colored tulips held under his arm. 

“Hey Tina, it’s me, Mike.” And he was met with silence, and he tried again and was met with the same response. So he placed his items on the carpet floor and sat down, leaning against the wall and waited.

:D

“Mike? Mike? What are you doing here?” Mike blinked his eyes rapidly for a few seconds, then rubbed them with the back of his hand. When he finally opened them he saw Tina crouching before him, hair messy and heels in hand. 

“Oh hey, I was waiting for you to get home.” He smiled goofily, slowly getting up from where he sat. He was met with furrowed brows and a chuckle when he looked at her as she unlocked her door. 

Once they got in, Tina made a beeline to the small open kitchen and opened a medicine filled bottom cabinet, grabbing the bottle of Advil and quickly swallowing two pills dry. She stared at him standing there awkwardly, and laughed at him. “You can sit you know, you’ve been here before.”

And so he sat hesitantly, the flowers and chocolate sitting on his lap, but he soon relaxed when he heard the shower running. He looked around and admitted to himself that over the last few weeks, he’s been here twice, but hadn’t really observed his surroundings. 

He could see stacks of fashion sketches as well as two scripts placed messily on the kitchen island/dining table, there were a few jackets lying around and bottle of vodka sitting on the coffee table. 

There were hints of both her and Artie all over the apartment, there were two mugs sitting by the coffee maker, grab bars on every wall and pictures of them from a handful of memorable moments. 

Mike hadn’t realized he was standing for so long until Tina mentioned it, wearing a large T-shirt and shorts, a towel wrapped around her head. “You know, he loved taking pictures. He always said it was a still-life movie, a story told in one frame.”

“That’s beautiful.” And it was, he never truly thought Artie was that tender of a person, as he wasn’t well known for being chivalrous.

“Are those for me?” And when Mike turned to where Tina was nodding to, he smiled and picked up the flowers and chocolate, bringing them up to her. 

She hesitated for a short moment, not sure what to make of it all, but took the items nevertheless, placing them on the counter. “Tulips, you remembered.” She smiled out, though not widely. 

“Yeah, you always talked about how the different colors meant something different and I passed by a flower shop on my way here, so I got some.” He watched as she reacted, though it wasn’t much besides a nod of understanding. 

They were both just standing there awkwardly, waiting for the other to speak when Tina asked what was on her mind. “So why are you here?” And she walked over to the couch, sitting comfortably before looking up to him.

So Mike followed her and sat on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees. “Well Blaine called me, and said you missed two of your weekly brunch dates.” 

Tina gave out a little chuckle, though not nearly as joyous as it usually was. “He’s just paranoid.” And Mike shook his head, his forehead creasing up in worry. “Tina, are you okay?”

She laughed again, with the same tone and leaned against the back of the couch. “Everything’s fine.”

Mike shook his head again, “I’m not asking if everything’s fine, I’m asking if you are fine.” Tina pushed herself up to grab the bottle of vodka on the coffee table, twisting off the cap and taking a swig.

“You forget that I’ve seen you at some of your worst, and those memories don’t just go away, and neither do those problems.”  
She’d closed her eyes by now, but he knew she was listening, as much as he knew that she was holding back tears.

So Mike pulled her closer to him, and she laid her head on his lap, tears dripping onto his jeans. And so he let her cry, and was just there for her, and he knew that she knew that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Hope you like it!
> 
> Sorry it’s a little short though 😣


	5. Silent Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaine is getting worried and tries to intimidate Mike, Mike and Tina’s weekly meetups hold more emotion than one might think.

“So, how are you handling the whole Mike conundrum?”

“What do you mean?” And Blaine just stared at her, an eyebrow raised. “Don’t avoid it, and from what I’ve heard, things have been well.” 

Tina just looked down at her plate of food, playing with her salad with her fork. ”It’s not ‘well’ it’s fine.” 

Blaine chuckled to himself, placing his spoon on the table, folding his hands before him. “Tina, you should know by now that I know you well enough to know that ‘fine’ coming out of your mouth does not mean fine.” 

“Well what do you want me to say? There’s not exactly a correct answer, is there?” And she stared at him pointedly, slightly raising an eyebrow. Blaine sighed in response, deciding to drop the topic, making a note to meet up with Mike soon.

...

Blaine had texted him, insisting that they had to meet, and to be honest, it wasn’t going very well.

It was obvious it was about Tina, but what confused him was how much of the conversation was about him. He and Blaine were friends, sure, but they never really ‘bonded’ as you would say. He was Tina’s best friend, but only after they had broken up.

“So, what do you like to do?” The question was awkward, and Mike couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at the other man.

“You already know that. Blaine, what’s really going on?” And Blaine’s ‘cool’ mask came off immediately. 

“Well I’m making sure you’re good enough for Tina.” He explained, but started to realize how pathetic he sounded.

“I think we need to be strangers for that to happen. Blaine, why are you doing this?”

Blaine stuttered for a moment, his words not pieced together yet, sighing when he finally knew what he wanted to say. “She’s my best friend, and even if you’ve been taking your time, this is still going really fast for her. I don’t want her to get hurt. And I know you would dream of it, but I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t, even if it weren’t intentional.” 

“Blaine, how much of Tina and I’d relationship has Tina told you about?” And Blaine’s face turned sad, and started bite his lip.

“Now I know she should be the one telling you this, but we aren’t doing anything. She asked to be friends, and that’s what we are. And even if I wanted more, I couldn’t do that to her.” 

Blaine took a sigh of relief, laughing out almost. “Oh my goodness, I am so bad at this!” 

Then Mike’s phone buzzed from where it sat beside him in the table, and he took one look at it and started to stand up.

My place? 5pm?

“I have to go, but I’m really glad that Tina has you to take care of her.” And he smiled as he put his phone into his pocket, placing down a 20 dollar bill. 

“Mike?” And his reply was a hum.

“I think that’s your job now.”

...

When he got to her house it was 5:20, and he was sweaty from rushing over after taking a shower that ran a little longer than he expected. 

He knocked on her apartment door and ran a hand through his hair, his other hand holding two hot chocolates with his name wrongly spelt on them.

When she opened the door, her hair frazzled and eyes tired, “I thought you weren’t coming.” 

Mike shook his head and gave her a goofy smile, “I’ll never ditch you, I’m so sorry I’m late but I brought got chocolate to make up for it?” and so he walked in, closing the door behind him and he placed the paper cups on the kitchen counter. 

They’d been meeting up quite often, maybe once or twice a week, and each time the relatively same things would happen, and so he prepared himself to listen to whatever her day had decided to hand her.

When he turned around to face her, she was already sitting on the couch, waiting for him, and when he finally did sit, her head immediately fell onto his lap. 

They didn’t say anything, just stayed there for a while, him stroking her hair, her playing with her sleeves, it was so natural to them by now, so right, yet so sad that circumstances led them there in the first place.

It had been around half an hour of somber silence when she first spoke, head still in his lap, his hands still in her hair. “I see him everywhere, but I can’t bring myself to take any off his stuff out.” 

He hummed in response, urging her to continue. “It’s just that, I spent so much time pushing the thought of him out, and I feel like it’s just making it hurt more.” 

“You can’t blame yourself for dealing with the loss of him the way you did. You can’t exact control how you react to something as dire as this.” He said it as gently as he could, watching her reaction.

“I knew exactly when he died.” And when she looked up to him, she could see how confused he was.

“I could feel it, something was gone from in me. I felt... empty. It was like someone drained me.” Mike didn’t have much of a response, he wasn’t really letting the information sink in, he was just listening, and twirling his fingers through strands of her hair.

“And when I had your name on me, the emptiness didn’t go away, it was filled, just not completely.” And Mike’s furrowed brows answered her on what he thought about it. 

She pulled herself up, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, grabbing his face into her hands. “I love you.”

And Mike hadn’t expected the statement, eyes widening, mouth figuring out what to say. 

“I love you, but I haven’t been in love with you for a while. And it’s going to take some time to get to that point, if it ever will.” And Mike nodded slowly, eyes clear and lips turned slightly, he pulled her into a hug, letting her head rest in his shoulder.

“I miss him.” And it sounded like it hurt.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter! Sorry for the wait! All comment and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated!


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